Climate Resilience Committee
Mitigating Risk from Environmental Change
Rising temperatures, extreme weather events and changes in water and air quality all pose a risk to Carolina’s campus. The Climate Resilience Committee, led by Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Piehler and Doctoral Candidate Ileana Fenwick seeks to mitigate these hazards.
By identifying risks, the group can propose solutions to the University’s greatest challenges. To accomplish this task, the group engages with campus leadership across all disciplines and levels.
Supporting Sustainable Carolina’s Efforts
The Climate Resilience Committee advances Sustainable Carolina’s mission of collaborating across operations, academics and research. The committee will help to:
- Increase the adoption of renewable energy sources to meet a certain percentage of the campus’s energy needs.
- Encourage the use of sustainable transportation options through infrastructure improvements and awareness campaigns.
- Establish waste reduction goals and develop strategies to achieve them.
- Educate the campus community about proper waste sorting and disposal to minimize landfill waste.
Recipe for a Resilient Campus
The Climate Resilience Committee works in three areas to improve campus resilience.
Environmental Scanning
What stressors exist on campus?
Temperature, weather patterns, air/water quality.
Vulnerable Processes
Who and what are at risk?
Health and wellness, supply chains and maintenance, facilities and operations.
Community Partners
What partners would be valuable?
University units, local businesses, governments, nonprofits.
Committee Chairs
Ileana Fenwick
Doctoral CandidateCommittee Members
Abigail Brewer, Communications & Engagement Specialist, Sustainable Carolina
Melanie Elliott, Sustainability Analyst, Sustainable Carolina
Margot Francini, Senior, Environmental Health Sciences and Public Policy
Julie Jacobson Vann, Associate Professor & Sustainability Liaison, UNC School of Nursing
Steve Wall, Policy Research Associate, UNC Institute for the Environment
Cara Winstead, Clinical Instructor, UNC School of Nursing
Jessica Zégre-Hemsey, Associate Professor, UNC School of Nursing
Campus Resilience Highlights